You're Only In Trouble If You Get Caught
by only-some-loser
Summary: Five times Aladdin doesn't get caught, and one time he does.


**AN: I've had this idea for a few weeks now, and I'm really happy with how this turned out. It gets a bit dark at the end, but only a little (at least what I consider only a little lol). This fits in either universe, 1992 or 2019. It's kind of both, actually, since it features both Razoul and Hakim. I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review!**

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1.

It was the first time that Aladdin ever had to steal to eat. He didn't want to, he really, really didn't want to. Stealing was wrong, was a sin, was against the law, but what else was he supposed to do? He didn't know how many days it had been since he last ate. All he knew was that he had to eat something, and soon, or he was going to die.

He tried begging, but there were too many beggars, and they were bigger than him and faster than him, and they always got the scraps first. He wasn't even five years old yet, and his little legs couldn't get him to the food that fell onto the ground before others got it. He had to steal. He had no other option.

Aladdin rubbed the tears out of his eyes with his dirty hands, he needed to see clearly if he was going to pull this off. And besides, there was nothing to cry about. Yes, what he was doing might have been considered terrible and immoral and against the law to an outside perspective, but he was just a little kid, and he needed food. If he was going to cry, it was going to be over something worthwhile, like the fact that his mother was dead and he hadn't seen his father in over a year now. The man was probably dead too. Aladdin was probably an orphan. But it didn't matter. They all said that Aladdin was just a street rat, and worthless. He didn't matter anymore. But was it really him that didn't matter, or was it orphans in general that didn't matter? Or street rats in general? What did that even mean?

Aladdin shook his head. What really didn't matter were any of those thoughts. He needed to focus. There was a cart selling apples just up ahead. All he needed to do was wait for a distraction, and grab a few. It shouldn't have been difficult. The vendor was talking to someone, but Aladdin couldn't see who. There were too many pairs of legs in the way, and he was too small. But all of those legs meant that maybe no one would notice if he stole a few apples.

As carefully as he could, Aladdin got up on his toes, and reached up towards the food. He could feel the skin of the apples on his fingertips, he was so close. He pushed himself up just a little higher, and grabbed an apple, then pulled it down, slowly enough as not to draw attention to himself, but quickly enough to get it out of sight. Once one apple was out of sight, he reached back up for a second, then a third. A fourth one, and he would leave. He could ration the apples to last him for a few days, maybe even a week or so. He could deal with the hunger, he knew he could.

But grabbing that fourth apple was what nearly cost him everything.

"Hey, kid, you gotta pay first," the vendor said, staring down at him angrily. Aladdin froze. What was he supposed to do? He didn't have any money, but he couldn't give up his food and starve, and die. He was clearly holding four apples, and he wasn't about to give up a single one.

Aladdin bolted in the other direction, running as quickly as his little legs could carry him. He could hear the vendor shouting for the guards, shouting out "thief" and "street rat" and even worse things. Aladdin just kept on running, trying to lose the guards in the crowd, but soon enough, the crowd had thinned too much to be a useful cover.

"Over here," an old man said. He looked to be a beggar as well, but with such kind eyes, and he was pointing up at a window. Aladdin ran towards him, and let the man lift him up and set him on the other side of the open window, out of sight from the guards. "Stay quiet," the man whispered. He couldn't see, but he could still hear what was going on outside.

"You there!" a guard shouted. "Where are you hiding the brat?" he asked. It sounded like someone had shoved the old man against the wall. Aladdin covered his mouth with his hands to prevent any noise from coming out.

"Who?" came the old man's voice. Then came a loud, pain filled grunt.

"The little thief! The street rat! Where are you hiding him?" the guard repeated.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the kind old man said.

"Talk!" the guard shouted. Then all Aladdin heard was pain. The old beggar was shouting, groaning, grunting, and then, suddenly-. He was silent. The old man wasn't saying a word, or making any noise.

"You shouldn't have done that, Razoul," a different guard said. "He was just an old man, maybe he really didn't know anything."

"Oh, be quiet, Hakim," the first guard, Razoul, said. "You're too soft for the streets. You should stay protecting the sultan in the palace."

Then the voices were gone. As carefully and slowly as he could, Aladdin lifted himself up, and back out the window. He let out a gasp at what he saw. The old man was lying there, unmoving, and there was a lot of blood surrounding his head. Aladdin had been there when his mother died. He knew when someone was dead. With the apples in his hands and tears in his eyes, Aladdin walked away.

It was that day that Aladdin learned that helping others and being kind often came with a heavy price. He promised himself, and his dead mother, that he would always help others and be kind anyway.

2.

Aladdin had been stealing for a while, years and years and years now. It was what his life had become, and as much as he hated it, there was nothing he could do. He'd tried time and time again to get a job, to earn honest money, but no one would ever hire a street rat. He wouldn't stop trying, but he hadn't been optimistic about it for over a year now.

Growing up on the streets, living in a long abandoned building, Aladdin had become quite used to stealing to survive, and avoiding the guards. Some days he was able to steal and no one would be the wiser, but if Aladdin were being honest, he kind of enjoyed it when the guards saw him and gave chase. He may have been smaller than them, but he was also faster than them, and much more agile. The more he ran from them, the better he got at jumping across buildings and climbing up the sides of them. It was a bit of a game, and it was a game that he always won. Razoul's frustrated shouts were music to his ears as the young teenager quickly climbed up beams and jumped on top of the guards shoulders. He couldn't help but laugh a bit. With the life he lived, making fools of the guards was really the only humor he had.

Sometimes, Aladdin deliberately took longer than he needed to escape them, just for the fun of it, just to see how close he could let them get without getting caught. It was a dangerous game, but a fun one. That's what he did this time, taking a longer route, and knowing that he would lose them over this next building.

"Try to keep up, Razoul!" he shouted at the guard, taunting him, a massive smile on his face as he leapt onto some beams, and climbed on top of the building. That was a feat that the guards would not be able to accomplish.

"I'll get you, street rat!" Razoul shouted back. Aladdin just ignored him. The game had been won, once again. All he had to do was leap across the empty street on the other side of the building, to the neighboring one, then his home was only a block away.

Aladdin looked across at the other building, then ran, and jumped, just like he had probably hundreds of times before. But this time, it didn't go quite according to plan. The building was further away than he first thought, but by the time he noticed its true distance away, it was too late. Aladdin reached out his hands as far as he could, the building almost within his reach. But just his fingertips touching it wasn't enough to stop him from falling, down down down, and catching his leg on the edge of an abandoned stall. The moment his leg hit it, a flash of white hot pain was all that Aladdin knew. He'd fallen before, but never that bad. He may have screamed, but Aladdin didn't know for sure. When a more full awareness came back to him, he bit his lip to stay quiet, only allowing moans of pain to pass through.

But he didn't have time to deal with it. The small street was empty, but the area was not. The guards were still around, and he needed to get away. If he'd managed to make it to the top of the other building, he would've been home free, but not anymore.

"Circle the streets!" came a shout from marketplace, not too far from Aladdin. It was Razoul. "Find the street rat! I want his hands!"

Aladdin shuddered, but he wasn't sure if it was from the stabbing pain in his leg, or the fear of Razoul's words. If the guard were to see him, Aladdin wouldn't be able to get away, not with a leg that was likely broken. He stood up, leaning heavily on the stall next to him, and not putting any weight on his left leg. Experimentally, he rested his foot on the ground, and began to lean on it, just a little. There was no one who could hear him, so he allowed a small whimper to escape his lips. There was no way he would be able to run on that leg. He was no doctor, so he couldn't say whether or not it was broken, but it was the worst physical pain he'd ever felt - although Aladdin still swore that there had been a stabbing in his heart the day he lost his mother, even though he could barely remember her anymore.

Regardless, he had to get away. Leaning heavily against the wall, Aladdin limped down the street, biting his lip to keep any more sounds of pain from getting out. He carefully peered around the corner, checking for guards. If Razoul spotted him, it was over. There were guards, but none of them were looking where he needed to go. He couldn't afford to just wait until they left the area entirely. He was much too exposed for that. This may be the best chance he was going to get.

Blinking away the tears of pain, Aladdin hurriedly limped down the street. He went as quickly as his broken leg would allow, and tried not to draw attention to himself. He was almost home, it was only a block away, he could make it. The pain in his leg intensified more and more with every step he took, almost causing him to crumble to the ground once or twice, but he couldn't afford to slow down. A badly broken leg was much better than having his hands severed after getting caught by the guards.

"Find him!"

Aladdin perked up at the shout, and went even faster, expertly snatching a cane that was leaning against a vendor's stall. Of course, no one noticed. The cane helped a lot. As long as he was careful, he could walk without putting any weight on his injured leg at all.

He was almost there, he could see the tiny alley where he had to turn. But right as he turned, he heard Razoul shouting again.

"There! Get him!"

The shout was distant, but there was no way that Razoul would ever mistake anyone else for Aladdin, even from behind. He'd been chasing him for near ten years now. Razoul probably knew Aladdin's face and the back of his head and his clothing better than he knew his own.

As quickly as he could, Aladdin pulled the cord that released the steps up to his home. But how was he supposed to climb those steps with a broken leg? He didn't have time to think about it. All he could do was go for it, and breathe through the pain. With a grimace, Aladdin used the cane to help get himself onto the first step, then the next, and the next, until finally, he was at the top and pulling the cord up there to hide the steps, and stumbling through the door. As soon as he got the door closed, he fell to the floor with a choked off sob. It hurt so much, unlike anything ever had, but he had to stay quiet.

"Where'd he go?" one of the guards asked. Aladdin could hear them groaning in frustration.

"He turned down this alley, but there's no out. Where could he be?" Razoul almost screamed in frustration. After a minute or two, the groans faded away. Aladdin finally allowed a few pained tears to slip down, then took a deep breath. He was okay. He made it. Everything was going to be fine.

Aladdin reached into his pocket and pulled out the success of his theft that had gotten the guards sent after him in the first place. A single bag of dates. He wanted to throw them away for causing him so much pain, but he clutched them to his chest instead. With a broken leg, the dates and his emergency stash of raisins and other dried fruits were all he was going to have for several weeks. He couldn't waste his catch.

Hesitantly, Aladdin looked up the stairs to where his few belongings were. Why were there so many stairs? He gulped, then took a deep breath. This was going to hurt.

3.

It was a beautiful day in the marketplace. The guards out were few and far between, and Aladdin hadn't seen Razoul yet. Razoul was likely the only guard that would arrest him on sight. The rest would probably wait until he stole something, which, Aladdin would admit, was a frequent occurrence. But there was something going on near the harbor, which was drawing a lot of people. Normally, Aladdin would use this as a good pickpocketing opportunity, and he still might, but he was interested in seeing what was going on too.

Agrabah, being a port city, often had merchant ships coming and going throughout the seasons. That seemed to be all that was going on, but then why was it drawing such a massive crowd? That wasn't normal for just another merchant ship. Then Aladdin saw what their cargo was. It was people. These were slavers. Aladdin let out a sad sigh, and shook his head. Those poor people. Aladdin's life was pretty terrible at times, but at least he wasn't a slave. No matter what, slaves didn't live good lives, no matter what their work was. Manual labor, domestic service, harems or bacha bazi, it didn't matter. None of it was good, and Aladdin was just happy that at least he was free, even if he did have to steal to survive.

Still, Aladdin took advantage of his opportunity, and picked a few pockets, taking only some jewelry and change. He hated taking things that were actually important. As he left the harbor and the crowds, he saw the slaves, all chained together, being marched along towards the marketplace. Clearly the ship had been across the world. The slaves were all colors, and men, women, and a few children too. Some were probably going to be auctioned off in Agrabah before the slavers continued on their way. They were probably heading to the Far East, that's usually where merchants went after Agrabah.

An hour later, Aladdin was back in the marketplace, using the meager amount of money he actually had to get some decent food. It wasn't often that he had any money, so he was going to take advantage of the opportunity. He tried to tune it out, but Aladdin could hear the sound of slaves being auctioned off nearby. Still, in morbid curiosity, Aladdin turned towards the auction, and saw it for himself.

The slaver doing the auctioning was one of the tallest men that Aladdin had ever seen, with big muscles that he probably used to keep his slaves in line. The slaves themselves varied in every way, but there was the same sadness in them all. Even the defiant ones had a sadness about them that was undeniable. As Aladdin watched, he accidentally made eye contact with the slaver, but he would not be the first to break it. He glared at the man, crossing his arms and hoping that somehow his gaze would let the man know how abhorrent Aladdin found him. But the slaver just stared at him, a strange hunger in his eyes that Aladdin didn't want to think about. It sent shivers down his spine, and forced him to break eye contact. Something about it terrified him, but he couldn't say what.

He couldn't stay there anymore. He had to leave, immediately. Aladdin abruptly turned around and pushed his way through the crowd, ignoring the perfect pickpocketing opportunity. That didn't matter. All that mattered was that he got out of there. Aladdin nearly ran back to his home, and shook off the remaining jitters from the slaver.

That night, Aladdin couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see were the eyes of the slaver, staring at him. The few moments of sleep he did get were cursed with dreams of being one of those unfortunate slaves, forced to serve a cruel master who used him for anything and everything he wanted.

Aladdin sat up and ran his fingers through his hair. Maybe a walk in the much cooler Arabian night air would help him to relax. He made his way out of the hovel and down the wooden beams that served as steps when pulled out from the walls. Aladdin had no destination in mind, just a walk. A light breeze made the night even better, and Aladdin could feel his nerves lessening already.

His walk took him back to the harbor, where the slavers' boat was still docked, but there was no sign of movement on it. Aladdin sat on some of the rocks by the bay, and let his legs dangle over. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, breathing in the ocean air. Despite everything, Agrabah was beautiful. It was a cloudless night, with the stars and moon lighting up the salty waves. Aladdin could look out at the sky forever, a permanent reminder of something bigger than himself. He was so insignificant in the world, and while that thought was usually hurtful, upon seeing the stars, the thought became a relief.

Aladdin was so mesmerized by the stars that he failed to notice the men creeping up behind him until it was too late. A hand was slapped over his mouth, and arms were around his torso, pulling him away from the shore. He tried to struggle, and managed to land a solid kick on one of the men, and bit the hand over his mouth. Aladdin pushed them away with all his strength, then ran as fast as he could. The men were following him. He couldn't lead them back to his home, and he couldn't lead them to the guards. If Razoul was with them, then there was no chance that he would get any help at all. The captain would probably join in the chase, might even buy him as a slave if he got the chance. That would certainly make Razoul happy. So where was he supposed to go?

At that time of night, the only place in Agrabah were he could count on there being people around were the areas that he wanted to avoid. Aladdin may technically have been a criminal, but he would never go into the rougher parts of the city unless he absolutely had to. That was where people went missing, never to be seen again. No one would save him from slavers there. In fact, they'd probably help them as long as they got something out of it.

The only other place that might be populated at that time of night was the marketplace, and even if it wasn't, at least there were residences around there. Maybe someone there would help him. But as Aladdin rounded a corner, he ran straight into a person. Before he could apologize and ask for help, the man was grabbing him and forcing him against the wall.

"Let me go!" he shouted in reflex, despite knowing that a slaver would have no intention of doing that. The body pressing him against the wall was so much bigger than his own, it could only belong to the auctioneer. He was forced harder against the wall, and suddenly there was a hand in his hair. Aladdin tried to shake his head free, but to no avail. The man's grip was iron.

"Oh, you'll fetch us quite a sum, boy," the slaver said as he ran his other hand along Aladdin's torso, feeling his muscles. "You'll be quite nice for whatever your master wants you for," he continued, then let out a low, terrifying chuckle.

"I know what I'd want from a pretty boy like him," another voice said, deep and husky, and filled with something that Aladdin didn't want to think about. It had to be another one of the slavers.

Aladdin couldn't slow his breathing. He knew he was panicking, and that wasn't going to help him get out of this, but he just couldn't stop. He struggled more against the man, earning him nothing but getting the side of his head smashed into the wall. A cry of pain escaped, and as much as Aladdin hated that, it was probably what saved him.

"Over there!" a distant voice shouted. It sounded like one of the guards, but not Razoul, it was Hakim! Hakim was a good man, he would help him. Someone in the marketplace had probably heard his struggles and alerted the closest guards.

"Hey!" he shouted as loudly as he could. He quickly bit the hand that went to cover his mouth before he could be silenced. "Let me go!" he shouted again. He renewed his struggles, and the slavers were the ones who started to panic.

"Shut him up," one of them whispered through clenched teeth. Aladdin continued to make as much noise as he could, hoping against hope that it was his struggles that had alerted the guards patrolling the area.

Aladdin managed to elbow the brute holding him against the wall in the stomach with his bony elbow, hard enough that his grip on Aladdin lessened enough for him to easily slip away. He easily outmaneuvered the other slavers, like he always outmaneuvered the guards, and bolted straight for Hakim. One of the guards tried to grab him, but Hakim stopped them.

"They tried to kidnap me," Aladdin panted. Hakim motioned for his guards to run after the slavers, who were running in the opposite direction. The man's gaze went to the side of Aladdin's face, where Aladdin could feel blood still dripping down. "I'll be fine," he muttered. "Thanks." He needed to get away. Good man or not, Hakim was still one of the palace guards, and it was the palace guards who wanted his hands. He needed to get away.

"Are you sure you're alright, boy?" Hakim asked him, his voice calming and gentle, his eyes kind. There was no way that Hakim didn't recognize him, even though it had been almost a year since the last time they'd run into each other - the last Aladdin heard, Hakim had gotten a promotion, and was mainly directly serving the sultan now. He had to know who Aladdin was, but still, he wasn't calling him a street rat or arresting him.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks," Aladdin repeated, then ran off.

Once he got back to his hovel, Aladdin nearly collapsed on his makeshift bed. He closed his eyes and took another deep breath to calm himself back down. The events of the night had left him exhausted, but Aladdin didn't know if he would be able to fall asleep any easier now. He was still shaking, and every time he closed his eyes, the slavers were all he could see. All he could hear was what they said about him. All he could think of was what would've happened if Hakim hadn't been there. His shaking intensified, despite the deep breaths he tried to take to calm himself down.

Even after he cleaned the blood off his face, Aladdin didn't sleep for the rest of the night.

4.

It had been too long without food. It was just so, unearthly hot outside, that Aladdin stayed in his hovel as much as possible, eating the bare minimum of his emergency rations that he allowed himself. But he was running out of water, and dried fruit too. He needed something juicy, like a melon, or an apple. As if to emphasize the point, Aladdin's stomach loudly reminded him that he hadn't eaten anything yet that day. Besides, Abu needed food too. The little monkey, who had recently become his friend and constant companion, always got the best of the food that Aladdin stole. He was a monkey, and his friend, and Aladdin couldn't let him starve. If Aladdin went hungry for a few days, that was fine, but he would absolutely not let Abu go hungry. That just wasn't an option.

"Come on, Abu," Aladdin muttered. "Let's go get something to eat." He reached down his hand, and let Abu climb up his arm and onto his shoulder. The little monkey perched up there happily, letting his tail wrap around Aladdin's neck. Even with the intense heat, Aladdin was grateful for Abu's presence right there. He'd never really had a friend before, not for a long period of time, but it had been a few months, and Abu still hadn't left him. That was something that Aladdin wasn't about to take for granted, and he was always going to do his best to prove to Abu that he was worth staying around.

Even after just a few seconds in the sun, Aladdin was sweating. It was always hot during the day in Agrabah, especially during the summer, but it had just been so much hotter than normal the past few days, and that was taking a toll on everyone. The heat left Aladdin exhausted, no matter how much he slept, and everyone he met on the street seemed to be in a bad mood, the vendors especially. They were irritable, and seemed to be even more vigilant in their efforts to stop thieves. If they were going to be miserable, everyone else had to be miserable too.

But a few apples, even warm, were juicy and sweet. Aladdin could feel his mouth watering just at the thought of them. He didn't have any money, and there wasn't a good pickpocketing opportunity nearby, so he would have to steal the fruit the old fashioned way. Luckily, Abu was a vigilant helper, having been taught to steal long ago. They'd played this old song and dance many times already, and they were always successful. With Abu, stealing had never been easier. Even though Aladdin was much more exhausted than he normally was while thieving, he was sure that he could still manage this.

Aladdin walked up to the vendor, who, sadly, knew very well that Aladdin was a thief, who had stolen from him time and time again. The vendor couldn't prove it, but still, it might make things more difficult. But those apples were worth it. Aladdin picked one up, and pretended to inspect it - in reality, he would steal any apple, even one that had spots or was half rotten. Food was food. The vendor immediately turned to him with a glare.

"You better be willing to pay money for that, street rat," he said. "Because one way or another, you will pay."

Aladdin flashed him his most disarming smile. "Don't worry, Jamal, I'm just teasing myself today," he said. Aladdin was sure to not look in Abu's direction. The monkey had scurried off his shoulder and was taking apples from behind Jamal's back. "Maybe I just want someone to talk to," he said, shrugging his shoulders and acting as innocent as he could. Jamal did not look impressed in the slightest.

"Oh, sure, Aladdin," he seethed. "If you want someone to talk to, I'm sure Captain Razoul would be more than happy to indulge you. Now get out of here, I'm not in the mood for your tricks today."

"Aww, thank you, Jamal. I didn't know you were ever in the mood for my tricks," Aladdin replied, holding in his laughter at how his words always got a rise out of the vendor. Jamal glared at him, and if looks could kill, Aladdin knew he'd be dead.

Abu looked to be just about done sneaking apples. Due to the heat, there weren't that many people out, making it especially easy for Abu to grab an apple, then scurry over to Aladdin and deposit the apple in his bag. Jamal was thoroughly distracted, and hadn't noticed a thing. All in all, it was going exactly according to plan.

Until he did notice. In Jamal's frustration at Aladdin, he quickly turned around to swear, and swore again - much more loudly - when he saw Abu jumping down with an apple in his grasp. Abu immediately ran up Aladdin's leg, dropped the apple in his bag, then ran up to his arm, where Aladdin helped to launch him up into the air and on top of the building. But before Aladdin could run himself, Jamal's hand was on his wrist in a crushing grip.

"Street rat!" Jamal shouted, slamming Aladdin's hand down on the counter of his stand. "You'll lose your hands for this. Guards! Guards!" he screamed. Jamal held his own knife in his other hand, the razor sharp blade glinting in the sun. He was ready to swing it down and sever Aladdin's hand himself, and he knew Jamal would do it too.

But try as he might, Aladdin couldn't pull away. Jamal was a large, strong man, and his grip on Aladdin's wrist would not be broken. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the guards further down the street. Instead of pulling away, Aladdin lunged towards Jamal, hoping that changing the angle of the man's grip on his wrist could help him to break it. Although he was smaller, the surprise of Aladdin jumping over the counter and onto the man surprised Jamal enough that he fell back a step, and loosened his grip. Aladdin wrenched his wrist away as hard as he could, and brought his knee up to Jamal's nether regions. The vendor grunted and fell to a knee, and Aladdin bolted.

He heard a screech coming from above, and saw Abu watching. The monkey jumped down and expertly landed on Aladdin's shoulder.

"Street rat! Get him!"

Aladdin could hear Razoul shouting from down the street, accompanied by many curses from Jamal. A knife - Jamal's large, sharp, knife - embedded itself into the wall mere inches from Aladdin. He couldn't take the time to stop and stare in horror and the instrument that Jamal had wanted to use to cut off his hands. Besides, he would see that very knife in his dreams the night. He always did after close calls. But the hard part was over. Now, he just had to escape the guards, just like he had done hundreds of times before.

Aladdin sighed in relief once he was back in his hovel, safely away from Jamal and guards. He was going to have to avoid his stand for a while, but that was okay. Jamal would get over it. It wasn't as if he hadn't stolen from the man before.

His wrist ached, but there was nothing he could do about it. Stealing food was hard enough sometimes, he couldn't exactly steal anything that would help his wrist. Already there were angry, red, finger shaped marks on it, and Aladdin knew they were only going to get worse. He'd gotten nasty bruises before, and broken bones and nasty stuff like that, but the look of hand and finger prints on his body were by far the worst of the injuries he endured. It wasn't because of the pain, although the pain could be excruciating, but because of what went along with those finger marks on his wrist, or his neck. The people who did that thought he was worthless, that because he was an orphan in poverty that they could do whatever they wanted to him, that he may as well be a slave. Enough people had tried to make him a slave, tried to convince him that if he willingly chose to be their property, then at least he would be guaranteed food every single day, which was better than what he had. Of course, they always failed to mention what would be done to him, what he would be forced to do. The finger shaped bruises on his wrist just reminded him how badly people wanted to take something from him, be it his hands, his freedom, or even just his soul and what made him who he was.

For the next few weeks, those ugly bruises took their sweet time to fade, and every time people saw them, they stared. Aladdin felt worthless every time his gaze fell upon them.

5.

Even the most successful of pickpocketing days could turn sour, as Aladdin learned. As people moved throughout the marketplace, Aladdin found it easier than ever to pick little things from those who could clearly afford to lose them. He would never steal from someone who looked to be struggling just as much as he was, or even more so. But there were plenty of affluent people around who's gains were just as ill-gotten as Aladdin's own, so he had no qualms about stealing their jewelery to pawn for some food, or even a new piece of clothing every few years.

Teaching Abu what he should and shouldn't steal was a bit more difficult, but he was only a monkey after all. Still, Abu was very helpful in pickpocketing, whether he was the distraction or the thief himself. They worked excellently together, and Aladdin was living better than he ever had since his mother died - he just wished he could remember her more, and his father, as both were nearly blank faces in his memory.

Aladdin, with Abu perched on his shoulder, followed a wealthy man who was being very rude to everyone he talked to. The man was arguing with every vendor, expected everyone else to move out of his way first, and acted disgusted whenever someone of lower class than himself touched him. His wife was much the same, and complained about all the "street rats" around. This was a couple that needed to be taken down a peg, and Aladdin was more than happy to be the one to do it. He followed far enough behind that they wouldn't notice, but close enough that he could easily catch up to pick their pockets when the opportune moment arrived.

That opportune moment came when the couple left the main area of the marketplace and started down an alleyway that led to another part of town. Aladdin easily caught up to them, and sent Abu scuttling ahead as a distraction. The monkey crashed through the couple, taking as much as he could along the way, and didn't bother to hide any of it. That was all part of the plan.

"Ew!" the woman shouted. "It's filthy!" She brushed Abu away and started wiping herself of with her hands, as if that would do anything if Abu actually had been as filthy as she seemed to think he was. "And he took my necklace!"

"Abu!" Aladdin shouted, then crashed through the couple himself. Like Abu, he managed to grab a few things off them while he did so, except this time, he did hide what he took. He scooped Abu up in his arms, then turned to face the couple. "I'm so sorry about that," he said. "He can really be a pest sometimes." As planned, Abu faked looking offended, and held the necklace out in front of him. The woman snatched it back, a scowl on her face.

"You better control your pet," the man said through clenched teeth, pointing an accusatory finger at Abu.

"Sorry, he's a monkey," Aladdin said with a shrug and a small smile, hoping to diffuse the situation. People usually gave Abu the benefit of the doubt, since he was in fact just a monkey, but this couple seemed to be personally offended, and the man was definitely looking for a fight.

"The little rat stole from me!" the woman shouted. Abu jumped down from Aladdin's shoulder and into the hood of his vest, cowering there.

"Hey, he's a monkey, and he gave it back, there was no harm done," Aladdin said, raising up his hands a bit to try to calm them down. He stepped to the side and tried to get back around the couple and into the fray of the marketplace, but the man had other ideas.

"You want to see some harm?" the man asked, taking a threatening step in front of Aladdin. Before Aladdin could do anything, the man lunged at him and wrapped his hands around Aladdin's neck, pushing him up against the wall. Abu jumped out of Aladdin's vest just in time, and tried to claw at the man's face, but he was thrown off. "Here's some harm," the man said, rage in his eyes as he tightened his grip on Aladdin's throat. He tried to claw at the man's hands, and kicked out as much as he could, but to no avail. The man's grip was iron, and Aladdin's mind was brought back to that night a few years earlier, when he was shoved against the wall by a slaver who was trying to add him to his cargo. But this wasn't that, this was just an angry man. Aladdin tried to voice reason to the man, but he couldn't get any words out. The pain continued to grow, and Aladdin could feel his lungs giving out as his view faded. He was going to die.

"My necklace!" the woman shouted again. Out of the corner of Aladdin's fading eyesight, he saw Abu running away, a priceless necklace in his grasp. "Leave him, go get it back!" she shouted to her husband.

Finally, Aladdin was dropped to the ground. He fell to his knees, gasping for air, his hands shaking.

"This is your lucky day, street rat," the man seethed, then turned and ran down the alleyway, chasing after Abu, who Aladdin knew was already long gone, probably already back to their hovel, and that was exactly where Aladdin was going to go.

He scrambled to his feet, and rushed past the woman, who was just staring at him in disgust. His neck was still pulsing with pain, and he knew he was lucky to be alive.

Just as he knew he would be, Abu was safely back in their home when Aladdin arrived. Aladdin pulled the small change purses he'd snatched from the couple out of his own pockets, and set them down next to the beautiful necklace. The necklace hadn't been part of the plan, only the purses, but it was a welcome addition. Abu's distraction had saved his life.

"Tha-" he tried to say, but his throat screamed at him when he tried. Aladdin closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose. He wasn't going to be able to eat or drink or talk for a while. But he was alive.

Abu moved closer to him, looking up at him with concern. Since Aladdin couldn't say anything, he did the only thing he could do. He scooped Abu up in his arms, and held the little monkey close. Abu curled into his embrace, and made adorable little noises of contentment when Aladdin began to pet him a bit. Maybe Aladdin was crazy, but he swore that Abu was trying to pet him back.

+1.

Like any normal day, the marketplace was buzzing with activity. Vendors yelled about their dates and nuts, performers tried to make a little extra money, and people moved to and fro in search of their wares. Aladdin walked around, Abu on his shoulder, enjoying the breeze that blew through the streets. The nearby ocean often provided a nice breeze, but this one was just something special. It was going to be a beautiful day, Aladdin just knew it.

In a strange twist of fate, Aladdin didn't see a single guard out. That was a rarity, but one that Aladdin wouldn't complain about. Despite that, he couldn't bring himself to steal anything or pick anyone's pocket that day. It felt wrong to do that, no matter how much he needed to eat, on a day as perfect as it was. Instead, Aladdin just walked along, and enjoyed the beautiful day. As much as Aladdin wished for a better life, some days, the one he had wasn't that bad itself.

But, that beautiful day quickly disappeared. As Aladdin began his walk back home, he saw three young kids begging for scraps on a more empty street. The few people that walked by simply passed the children, and the date vendor didn't seem to care either. Aladdin couldn't do the same. He didn't have any food or money on him to give them, but he could easily swipe something from the vendor. Beautiful day or not, he would not let those children go hungry while he could do something about it.

The kids watched him with eagle eyes as he made his way towards the vendor. He sent Abu down to the other side of the stall to be a distraction while Aladdin stole some dates. Abu happily hopped on up to the counter, chittering away as he obviously grabbed some of the dates from the vendor.

"Get out of here, shoo, shoo," the man grumbled, trying to brush Abu away. What he failed to see was that Aladdin had grabbed three bags of dates from the counter while he was distracted. The bags safely tucked away, Aladdin nonchalantly made his way towards the children, and Abu ran further down the street to ward off suspicion. Without looking down at them, Aladdin dropped the three bags right in front of the dirty children, and continued walking. It really was a great day to-

Pain exploded in his head as he fell against the wall, dazed. Hands were grabbing him, pushing him hard against the wall and painfully gripping his wrists, holding them behind his back. Aladdin tried to fight back, but the attack was so sudden that there was nothing he could do as chains, warm from the sun, bound his thin wrists. He was pulled from the wall and forced down to his knees. A hand was in his hair, pulling his head to an awkward angle, forcing him to look up, and make eye contact with Razoul. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the door that had been slammed open - slammed into him - and knocked him into the wall.

"What's going on? Let me go!" he demanded, despite knowing that it was fruitless. The hand in his hair pulled tighter, causing him to let out a grunt of pain.

"We finally caught you in the act, street rat," Razoul seethed. But there hadn't been any guards around. Aladdin was always vigilant about that, how could he have missed this mob of guards that was now surrounding him? He looked around as much as he could, in panic. How had this happened? He was going to lose his hands, he going to lose his head, he was going to be mutilated then executed-

Aladdin renewed his struggles, but was only rewarded with a hard kick to the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Razoul just laughed. At least the hand in his hair was gone.

"After all these years, you're mine," Razoul growled. He leaned down and gripped Aladdin's hair right where the guard had earlier, and yanked his head back, exposing his neck. Razoul leaned down and growled right in his ear, "you're mine." Despite all of the grips holding him still, Aladdin shuddered at his words. "Come on, men, let's bring the worthless street rat to the dungeon," Razoul said, a giant, sadistic smile across his face.

Aladdin was dragged to his feet and marched forward. He fruitlessly struggled, trying to control his panic. There had to be a way out of this. He hadn't even been stealing for himself this time, it had been for the children. Where were the children? Aladdin looked around, and spotted the children, and the vendor, all being handed large bags of clinking coins. The sight took Aladdin's breath away. He'd been set up. The whole thing was a trap. The children had been paid off, and the vendor too. Razoul knew that Aladdin wouldn't let the kids go hungry, knew that he would steal for them. Razoul had taken advantage of him, and for some reason, that was what hurt the most.

Being dragged into the dungeon was not how Aladdin wanted his first time inside the palace to go. Guards surrounded him on all sides, blocking his view of the interior. In Aladdin's opinion, that was overkill. It wasn't as if he were some dangerous killer who had to be contained. Yes, he was a thief, but he only stole what he needed to survive. He didn't need that kind of security.

In a stark contrast to the outside, the dungeon was dark, and unbearably cold. The moment Aladdin was marched in, he began to shiver violently. For the first time, Aladdin was thankful for the too tight grips on his arms, because at least they kept him just a little bit warmer. Aladdin flinched when he heard screaming coming from somewhere deeper in the dungeon. Someone was being tortured, and viciously so. That was going to be him soon. At least they hadn't caught Abu. That was his one solace, that Abu was safe.

Finally, Razoul opened the door to a large cell filled with several other prisoners. They all had their hands chained above them, to the wall, making them unable to do anything, but that didn't make Aladdin feel much better. The way they were looking at him was terrifying. There was both a hunger and a hatred in their eyes, and Aladdin wasn't sure which was worse.

Razoul harshly shoved him into the room, and without his hands to catch himself, Aladdin fell onto one of the other men. The man quickly wrapped his legs around Aladdin and forced him closer, letting him feel things that Aladdin did not want to feel. As Razoul stood back, laughing, Aladdin pulled away as hard as he could, and broke the man's grasp. He was gasping for air that didn't seem to be coming. He couldn't slow down his breathing, and he knew he was panicking. Razoul suddenly grabbing him didn't help.

"Don't worry, street rat," Razoul said into his ear. "They've been here a long time, with no harem or bacha bazi to keep them company. They just think you're pretty." He forced Aladdin closer to the men, and to Aladdin's dismay, he couldn't help but lean back into Razoul, the only protection he had, despite knowing that the men were chained, and couldn't touch him. Razoul undid the chains on Aladdin's wrists, but he couldn't take advantage of the opportunity. Razoul's grip on his wrists was iron. It felt like his bones were grinding together, and he squeezed his eyes shut against the pain. He was quickly turned around and forced to sit against the wall, between two of the creepy men. His wrists were chained to the wall, just like everyone else's. "Say goodbye to your hands," Razoul said as he walked towards the door, that sadistic smile still on his face. "You won't have them come dawn. But maybe you'll still be of some use after that." He let out another bone-chilling laugh, then closed the cell door hard enough to make Aladdin flinch, locked it, and walked away. His laugh echoed down the corridors.

Aladdin immediately pulled his knees up to his chest, protecting himself as much as he could. He was trapped on either side. There had been plenty of room in the cell to give him space, but Razoul had chosen to put him between two of the men, just to make things worse for him.

"Hey, pretty thing," one of the men called out. Several other taunts and jeers followed. Aladdin snapped his eyes shut and curled into himself as much as possible. He wasn't going to listen to them, he wasn't going to pay any attention to them at all. That was how the next several hours were spent, hiding himself as best he could, ignoring the terrible, disgusting, degrading things that the men said to him and about him. Aladdin told himself that engaging with them would just make things worse, and that's why he didn't respond, not because he was just too terrified to say anything.

A little chittering sound outside the cell stole Aladdin's attention. Hesitantly, he lifted his head and stared out the cell door. It was Abu, holding a ring of keys.

"Abu," Aladdin called out. Tears of relief sprung to his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. Abu easily slid through the bars of the cell, and went straight for Aladdin, who just prayed that the other prisoners wouldn't make a racket about it. Abu quickly undid the lock on Aladdin's chains, then scampered back to the door.

"You better release me too, pretty boy, or I'll make sure you never get out of here alive," the man who had been next to him said. Aladdin briefly looked at him, but decided it was better to take his chances. He knew what that man might do to him the moment he was able, and that was something that scared Aladdin more than the dungeon.

The moment Abu unlocked the door, the two of them made a break for it. He cringed when he heard the man start shouting about a prison break, but he was confident in his ability to outmaneuver the guards. Yes, he had been captured earlier that day, but he'd been ambushed. This time, despite the fact that he didn't know the layout of the dungeon, it was much more similar to his usual escapes.

And just like his usual escapes, Aladdin quickly made his way outside and back onto the streets. Night had fallen, making it much easier to sneak around. All the guards were out of sight, and most people were off the streets. Aladdin ran back home as quickly as he could, not stopping for anything.

By the time he was safely back in his hovel, Aladdin was ready to collapse with exhaustion. He held Abu close to him, and closed his eyes, but he could only see the dungeon, and the hunger in the eyes of the other prisoners. Aladdin shook his head, and opened his eyes. He was safe, everything was okay. He was okay.

"Thank you," he choked out, hugging Abu a little tighter. "You saved my life." Abu just chittered in response, and snuggled closer to Aladdin, then hopped up onto his shoulder then into his hood.

Aladdin took a deep breath, then made himself some tea. It was going to be a long night.


End file.
